Personal Injury Lawyer | Car Seat Mistakes to Avoid

Nothing is more important to parents than protecting their children from harm. For infants and toddlers, this means using a car seat. These safety seats are so important that the law requires kids to ride in some form of car seat or booster seat until they’re 8 years old or at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. Without the protection of a car seat, babies and toddlers are vulnerable to serious injury or death.

Unfortunately, all personal injury lawyers have seen the tragic results of improper car seat use too. Even the most diligent and loving parents make mistakes sometimes when it comes to car seat installation and use. Here are four of the most common car seat mistakes that parents don’t know they’re making.

Installing the seat incorrectly. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the dot when installing a new car seat. If you’ve installed a car seat correctly and it doesn’t work as designed during a crash, a personal injury lawyer may be able to build a strong case on your behalf.

Putting the car seat in the wrong place. It’s always best to put a car seat in the back seat of your vehicle and away from any airbags. If your vehicle has only one row of seats, make sure that the passenger airbags are disabled before installing the car seat.

Switching to a forward facing seat too early. The law clearly states that kids must ride in rear-facing car seats until they are 2 years old unless they have reached a height of 40 inches or weight of 40 pounds. Following this law is a great way to protect your kids.

Keeping the harness too loose. Personal injury lawyers are parents too, and we know that it’s tempting to loosen the harness on your child’s car seat. Unfortunately, this can seriously undermine its ability to protect your child. Keep the harness snug to keep your kids safe.

No one wants to contact a personal injury lawyer because a child has been injured or killed in a car accident. Thankfully, you can protect your kids by taking a few minutes to check your car seat. If you’d like someone to check for proper installation of your car seat, contact the nearest Highway Patrol office.